by dowlingm
Is there any discussion in Detroit about the lifespan of the DPM and whether it will be maintained or replaced with a more conventional light rail solution?
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dowlingm wrote:Is there any discussion in Detroit about the lifespan of the DPM and whether it will be maintained or replaced with a more conventional light rail solution?The DPM will never be replaced after it expires. It has been a colossal failure over its entire 27-year existence. Its proponents predicted an annual ridership of at least 13 million, and it was designed for a ridership of 15 million. Over the past 15 years, there were two years where its annual ridership fell below one million--763,000 in 1999 is one.
Detroit wrote:I ask anybody... Why would something as impractical as the DPM be allowed to persist for over a quarter century?I don't understand how anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place. I've ridden it as a tourist and think that any money that Detroit throws at it is good money after bad. Let's home the Woodward light rail is a better use of money (but I'll admit I'm dubious after a ride on Seattle's Link light rail).
ExCon90 wrote:And possibly number the new cars beginning with the next number after the highest-numbered PCC? Other cities have done that, and it adds an element of continuity.By 1915, Detroit streetcars numbered 1434 vehicles. PCC streetcars were introduced to Detroit in 1947, where they started numbering them as 100 to 286. Even 100 was renumbered 141. Since they started renumbering over again in 1947, what's wrong doing it again in a new era? And if you wanted to number them consecutively, where do you start, at 1435 or at 287?